Chihayafuru 04 – Quitting Time: Mashima Taichi vs. Karuta

Chihaya is now all grown up, but does Taichi’s girlfriend really know the deal with Chihaya? Did Taichi do the right thing and break up with the girl he doesn’t love? Taichi is still a quitter, but how and why is Arata’s Shadow beating Taichi around?

Welcome to episode 4 where when the going gets tough, Taichi quits. Today Chihaya wins her A-Rank over the beaten and bloodied player that was a three year veteran, but first we have to deal with Taichi due to losers being first and because I find it highly amusing that Arata’s Shadow is still dominating him in every aspect of the Chihaya sweepstakes.

I said it before I’ll be saying it again and again Taichi is a quitter, and not he good kind that quits bad habits like smoking. A couple of you wanted to plead his case that Taichi struggling makes him endearing, but I am throwing a bullshit flag and penalizing Taichi for some just awful decisions and non-decisions. Say what you will about an athlete but an athlete who quits is no athlete to me, it’s not that Taichi can’t compete he quits before he even tries. In Middle School he played in a small club but instead of finding stronger opponents he just told himself that he would never be better than Arata. Talk about quitting without even going through your progressions. What a defeatist attitude to have as your life motto. Man did Ali take this shit attitude when he took down Frazier? Did the 2004 Boston Red Sox let the 86 year old Curse of the Bambino kill them when they were 0-3 games vs. the New York Yankees? Did Tom Brady give up playing Quarterback when he was 7th on the Michigan depth chart and after he was the 199th pick in the NFL Draft? Did Michael Jordan give up after the Bad Boy Pistons bounced him out of the playoffs two seasons in a row? Did Magic Johnson give up playing basketball after playing some of the worst basketball in his career in the 1984 NBA Championship where he was derided as “Tragic Magic”? The overwhelming answer is no, so what the hell is this idiot doing quitting right out of the gate? It makes no sense unless we come to grips with the fact that Taichi really has no backbone in that scrawny frame of his. Taichi was gone for three fucking years THIS is the solution he comes up with?

So we finally get visual confirmation on Taichi’s girlfriend (because you never know if Taichi is capable of telling the truth as he likes to lie to inflate his image). She seems like a nice girl, but what the fuck was Taichi thinking when he blew by Chihaya, never bothered to make a formal introduction, and tried to play it off as if Chihaya was just scenery that they didn’t know each other? Well a most deserved EPIC FAIL on Taichi’s part as Chihaya challenges him to play karuta leaving him flabbergasted and lost once again as his game plan for cheating on his girlfriend blew up in his face. Then Miss Girlfriend rightly asked the question of who Chihaya was as that sneak Taichi tried to blow her off and chase after Chihaya. I wonder what choice words Taichi used to explain the deal with Chihaya and maybe someday we will learn. I’ll spoil this much for you though; it wasn’t an immediate break-up that much is certain at Chapter 10.

Also for a guy he who likes to shamelessly spend his parent’s money on himself he sure had issues buying Chihaya chocolate. So a 24 piece assortment is about 25.00-32.00 USD, excessive but surely $25-$32 is like lunch money when his daddy is making doctor money. Hell I got that shit monthly when I was in college but unlike Taichi I had the presence of mind to think like a poor man and enlist for the chance to raid the Air Force PX for Godiva at a substantial discount. Besides Chihaya asked for chocolate, not bees wax and sugar like that cheap stuff he was going to get at convenience store. Lastly if money is going to be the first consideration when it comes to Chihaya then I really don’t think Taichi is in love with Chihaya. Rather he seems to want to get her attentions and affections through a Chihaya charity where he gives nothing and gets everything. This is the sort of stuff makes Taichi out to be a lazy bum. If he is going to romance Chihaya does he really think that showing up with Hershey Mini-Bars and dandelions is going to beat out Godiva and Roses? Also if money was such an issue Godiva does have cheaper options and a fucking reasonably priced candy bar for $3.99.

It would probably be less damning if Taichi kept his loser attitude to himself but he constantly tries to get Chihaya to accept his shitty way of life by telling her to stick with track because she will never improve in Karuta. At this point I am leaning toward Taichi having spent the last 3 years hating karuta because he was never good at it. Hell almost everyone I know played sports of one kind or another as a kid and had some positive memories about it. Sure not one of them was able to play professionally but you still get company softball games, pick-up basketball, and pick-up soccer. In Taichi’s case he just gave up on karuta, never practiced seriously, kept losing, and then decided that it was stupid and no one should play it. First off it was short sighted of him to give up when he never played seriously nor practiced the way Chihaya did. Secondly just because he sucks doesn’t mean that Chihaya also sucks and will never make it. Just because Taichi was the better as a kid doesn’t mean that Chihaya can’t surpass him. What just because Chihaya is a girl she should not show his sorry ass up and be in a higher league as she plays a better game? Even if he quit the game doesn’t give him license to tell Chihaya to quit and belittle her efforts to be a master.

Taichi being full of LOSE, FAIL, and QUIT aside, maybe he will finally play karuta out of a genuine love for the game. If he plays just to get close to Chihaya he will fail because his shit game doesn’t help Chihaya achieve her goals. If he half asses it again then he will never ever beat the shadow of Arata. Speaking of Arata’s shadow it is mighty big, and certainly has a much more profound and better effect on Chihaya than it affected Taichi (who reacts with weeping, quitting, emo, and defeatism). Whether he intended to or not Arata did light the fires of Chihaya’s passion for karuta. It’s sad that we find out that in three years his situation has worsened and that he has quit. Before the Taichi apologists start jumping on Arata, Arata is still poor (and using a rotary phone for crying out loud) and his reason for quitting had more to do with losing his Grandfather than it did anything else.

I cannot help but love Chihaya’s fiery attitude when she took Taichi’s discouragement, doubt, and disapproval stuffed it into her bag and tried to take him out with it. A lesser person would let Taichi’s social stature give credence to his litany of lose, but not Chihaya. Chihaya is right, just because she isn’t great doesn’t mean she can’t be great. Just because things take time doesn’t mean they are not worth doing. In a hateful age of instant gratification it is good to see Chihaya being a hard worker grinding it out for three largely lonely years. Because if you want to live a real life you have to work for something and believe that your day will come. Arata might not be garnering much in the way of romantic feelings from Chihaya, but Chihaya is still seeking what she imagines would be absolution and vindication from her karuta hero as repayment for his faith in her. As Chihaya has always been in the shadow of her sister and the butt of many jokes, most of them originating from Taichi, it is hard to fault Chihaya for her hero worship for the first and for a while the only person who acknowledges her achievements and talents.

Still this doesn’t really give much justification for Taichi being a karuta hater and his attempts to demean Chihaya’s love for the game. It is good that Chihaya’s hero worship of Arata helps maintain her blindness of Taichi’s half-hearted attempts to clarify his feelings. It’s damn selfish and damn despicable of Taichi to try and pry Chihaya away from karuta in an effort to kill her connection with Arata. Chihaya loves the game and if Taichi were a man he would love that part of her too. Hopefully he can learn to but his initial reaction and his praise of quitting raises serious questions of whether he loves Chihaya enough to overcome three years spent hating the game and then some more for being envious of Arata. Since Taichi likes quitting so damn much who’s to say he won’t quit on any relationship with Chihaya should he be so blessed as to be chosen in the first place? I for one would have the nagging suspicion that he would quit on being Chihaya’s boyfriend after a month and go off with a girl who is easier to get. It’s still fucking sad and lame how Taichi is jealous of Arata’s skill at karuta and resentful of Chihaya’s love for karuta. Taichi is so focused on killing Chihaya’s love for karuta that he still hasn’t changed with his lame keep away tactics, first it was Arata now it karuta. Why for love shoujo/josei can’t he focus on bettering himself, learn to be honest and acknowledge his failings in karuta while encouraging Chihaya?

While I am confident that Chihayafuru is fairly faithful to competitive karuta play I cannot deny being giddy at the sight of not only displays of sheer speed, but the equivalent to pump fakes, match-ups, line-ups, crossovers, and blocking in a card game. As an American Football, Basketball, and Baseball fan it makes me respect the game of karuta more. Even if you don’t understand the game you can at least respect it as something more than pure memorization.

Next week I am hoping Arata will finally stop being a shadow, but so long as the manga holds true, which it has for the most part, I am bracing for more Taichi QUIT and FAIL.

24 Comments

I wouldn’t mind your (ridiculously overblown) hatred of Taichi so much if you actually devoted attention to ANY OTHER ASPECT of this fantastic series. Surely Chihayafuru deserves better than TAICHI IS A DICK I HATE HIM ALLOW ME TO SPEND THIS AND ALL MY POSTS EXPLAINING IN GREAT DETAIL WHY YOU SHOULD HATE HIM TOO!!!!!!!!!!111111!!! Frankly, it’s just annoying. So you really can’t complain when people try to defend Taichi from you. It’s not because I like him. It’s because by the time I reach the bottom of one of your posts I’m sick to death of hearing about how much you don’t.

So anyway, let’s examine his crimes in this episode. One, he’s lazy and an overly negative thinker. While I’ll admit these aren’t good traits, I don’t see how they warrant so much rage. I’m sure they’ve been put in place for him to eventually overcome because, you know, if he didn’t have flaws to struggle with, might his character not be somewhat… dull? Two, he didn’t introduce Chihaya to his girlfriend. You know, I think this particular scene was more about Chihaya’s flaws than Taichi’s. He probably would have got it if Chihaya hadn’t let jealousy cause her to angrily shout about karuta and then storm off. Don’t take that the wrong way, now. I love Chihaya. She’s my favourite character. I just don’t feel the need to paint her as a Little Miss Perfect in order to drive Taichi’s name further into the ground. Three, he showed up to support his old friend and spent his money on expensive chocolates to help her get through the tournament. MY GOD WHAT A SCUMBAG. How DARE he stop to consider his wallet for a second when faced with having to choose the considerably more expensive option? And then do it anyway? For his friend’s sake? I can see why you hate him so much. This is clearly unforgiveable. Seriously, I can understand disliking his character, but twisting even the good things he does to make him look bad is just stupid.

I think you must have quit about halfway. Sorry you find my honesty to be all that offensive, I am hoping the rest of the cast can eat up screen time at Taichi’s expense I grow weary of him. Don’t get me wrong I am not complaining I am just pointing out that you and your ilk are fawning over an asshole and making excuses for him. I am not telling you to shut up like you are telling me to. In this regard I choose to exercise my option to deny your petition like Taichi denies that he is being unfaithful.

I can find plenty of reason to hate such loser attitudes, but you seem to have a bleeding heart and think that quitting when the going gets tough is alright. But you know what I am surprised Taichi hasn’t quit on life and taken the most cowardly out of all, suicide. I come from a military background and certainly I do love sports more than I like people, so I think I just see things from a different lens than you civilian types. Quitting in the military can have drastic consequences for the rest of the unit, it means the rest have to pick you up because you were essentially lazy and selfish. Quitting for me is a cardinal sin, it’s an admission of defeat before you really even try. Quitting might be okay or even desirable for you but it is not to me. Quite frankly I cannot conform to your will much like Chihaya will not conform to Taichi’s.

As for the money issue I did point out that Taichi could have spent less, hell Chihaya only ate half the box (well less than $20) and there were those $3.99 candy bars. So really Taichi overspent on his own accord and lacked the intelligence to estimate his actual needs. If money is the first thing that comes to mind when helping a friend let alone some one you have a romantic interest in then it is time for Taichi to mull over what he loves more money or Chihaya. If you put your pocket book before friendship then to be honest you need to make your friends aware that you have allotted them dollar amounts for help. Moreover IT IS NOT HIS WALLET when have we seen him work, fuck he hasn’t worked a day in his life to be honest, it’s his parent’s money that is a FACT. So you didn’t really nail that one. Maybe it’s different standards for friendship, hell I know if I a friend was in need money would not be the first consideration, sorry you don’t feel that way.

I like how you are grasping for straws in your Taichi apologia, so Chihaya is jealous of Taichi’s girlfriend? If that was a shot the size of a beach ball you didn’t even hit the right ocean. You say I am reaching, but this reaching right here. Still you brought it up. So basically you don’t believe in formal introductions, and that is fine it is your prerogative to be rude and unfaithful. As far as I can tell Chihaya was mad that Taichi had quit and come hell or high water she was going to drag him back into Karuta whether he was willing or not. I think Chihaya hates quitting as much as I do. This doesn’t fit the definition of jealousy perfectly, hell it hardly fits at all. I really can’t see Chihaya taking issue with Taichi’s girlfriend, I’d like to know where you saw this. Chihaya wan’t mulling over Miss Girlfriend’s existence, she wasn’t making her an arch rival. Let’s be honest here Chihaya isn’t interested in romance so it’s hard to force your jealousy interpretation when Chihaya has ignored Taichi’s half-hearted affection for four episodes and counting.

To me though the lack of introduction clearly indicates that Taichi had no desire to be honest about Chihaya in his relationship with his girlfriend. I cannot see how you can think otherwise unless you accept/endorse/encourage this sort of crap. Why didn’t Taichi introduce Chihaya his friend of old to Miss Girlfriend? Why did he carry on a conversation as if Chihaya wasn’t even there? I think that the answer is pretty damn clear, Taichi’s afraid that he will be exposed as a no good cheating loser. As much as you can claim he loves Chihaya, that incident made clear that Taichi puts himself first.

As for Chihaya she hasn’t done anything wrong outside of choosing Taichi as a friend and mistakenly believing that Taichi is an honest man. That has less to do with her than Taichi betraying that trust and being duplicitous on more than one occasion. With regards to Taichi’s good actions, he simply showed up, behaved miserly, and more importantly did not win Chihaya her A Class Rank. Sorry but I don’t believe in participation trophies for simply showing up and acting like and ass more often than not. Moreover since Taichi found the time I cannot help but wonder what became of Miss Girlfriend and what lie Taichi used to get out of spending his free time with her…

As a military goomba I think you illustrate perfectly the gulf between two sections of society, you civilians accept less, you don’t demand improvement, you don’t even demand excellence, you like excuses, you accept excuses, you can’t bring yourselves to accept that some people have flaws because they choose to have them, and you aren’t willing to call bullshit because you want to seem to treat every one as worthy. As for your Godiva being super expensive, I laugh at you people because if you had a friend in the military you can get that shit at a really good discount, but you don’t because for a lot of you military grunts are some how beneath you.

That ending just killed me. I see the grandfather dying reason enough for not continuing with Kurata but Arata seemed so bitter with everything. Whatever happened with his death or even money trouble for his family I’m at a loss of words for him not even talking about Kurata (a kid who used to play it by playing a cassette for god’s sake!).

So, I started reading the manga and even went ahead with some Chinese scans and now I can’t wait for the next few episodes because it’s going to be intense! And for Taichi, I hope he will man up to his decisions; I end up seeing him as jilted and twisted as Yukiatsu (from AnoHana).

It’s sad how Arata still blames himself for what happened, especially since this was a long time coming and he should have taken the time to come to grips that Grandpa wasn’t going to play forever. His money situation hasn’t improved as far as I can tell so I suppose the lack of free time meant he had to make sacrifices. At any rate this is much better justification than Taichi’s.

I hope you are right about intensity. So far beacuse Tiachi is such a huge wimp I think Miss Girlfriend is going to get the chance to cast a long shadow if not be that albatross around Taichi’s neck.

I suppose, to be fair, one should rag on Arata for going all emo on his quitting, but…as you pointed out, he’s dirt poor. I kind of give him a free pass there, as I suspect he’s not got the greatest support for following one’s dreams.

I like the contrast between the poor Arata and the rich boy Taichi. You’re absolutely right about Taichi. Despite having everything handed to him on a silver platter, he is still a complete loser and quitter. I don’t necessarily buy into the idea that just because you have everything easy, you become a soft wussy (I’ve known a few people from trust fund backgrounds that are still serious go-getters), but Taichi is definitely helping to propagate that meme.

Chihaya is not the best person either, seeing how dense she is. Really, at this point, the only character I really care about is Taichi’s girlfriend, but then I think how stupid she has to be to be dating some guy who obviously doesn’t care about her, and really, I’m left with everyone being kinda emo or dumb.

The card game itself is so laughably kindergarten that I can only hope Chihaya ends up finding a new dream before all is said and done.

I am sure I’ll be killing Arata next week anyway because if the manga holds true then he shouldn’t kill his dreams. His Grandpa’s dead not him, he didn’t die that day so he needs to learn how to go on without his Grandpa. Yes, it will be tough losing the greatest influence on your life but this day was going to come better that Arata has to bury his Grandpa than his grandfather needing to bury Arata.

It sucks that Taichi has chosen to live up to the stereotype rather than be his own man and find his courage and commitment. He’s in a much better position to do so and as such he deserves to be killed for not making better use of his position. It’s like those stupid work site motivation posters Opportunity equals Luck plus Preparation, and right now Taichi isn’t preparing himself very well.

Chihaya is an idiot when it comes to love but I can’t blame her for being largely ignored by by her peers who value superficial appearances over substance of personality. Just because most of the boys in her age group are by and large content to just drool over her it’s not Chihaya’s fault that she can’t get to know them because they are scared of being labeled weird by association. Two boys are after her hand so maybe it will occur to her at some point. I have nothing against late bloomers some people are just wired that way hell Superbowl Champion QB Kurt Warner was bagging groceries and stocking shelves for $5.50 an hour for some time before he got his shot at fame and glory. I think Chihaya is still growing and has yet to even come close to her peak.

I hope they give a a real face to the Taichi’s soon to be ex-girlfriend. It would be great if we get to know her and give more gravity to her eventual demise. Otherwise she’s a faceless statistic and that really isn’t fair to her. I too would like to know why she asked Taichi out and what she sees in him. She might have been the first so at least if nothing else she had the courage to ask in the first place the way Taichi told the story. It would be most damning if Taichi asked her out and would make for much more juicy drama. If not well it makes it so much easier for her to cast aside by Taichi.

As for Karuta as ABC’s Wide World of Sports would tell you it doesn’t matter what they call a sport so long as you respect it. Karuta isn’t football but there is a method to the madness that I as a sports fan can appreciate. You could argue that Gridiron football is a juvenile game with trash talk and guys hitting each other, but there is a 9 billion dollar industry built around it.

This silly notion of tsundere you fools take from harem animu it doesn’t work in the real world that’s why idiots like you get slapped with restraining orders and abusive relationships occur. Tsundere ha, is that what you call it when people shoot bullets at each other? You civilian pukes running your yaps well away from any war plotting your slash fics when people die daily and you wonder why the world is fucked up it’s because of people like you.

Anyways you sound jealous you can have Taichi I am sure you’d be perfect for one another. Just add him to your male harem along with Kira, Athrun, and Jesus-kun. I must say you all deserve each other.

Upon reading this post, I realized that I did not hate Taichi as much as you did, but upon further introspection and thought, it was brought to my attention that my lack of hatred towards Taichi is solely because of my own incompetence and that your reasoning is in fact, most likely true. In this case, I figure it is probably good of me to share, so that you may understand why other incompetent civilians cannot appreciate your dislike for Taichi.

Reasons why I am incompetent and subsequently could not hate Taichi properly:

1)-I lack the necessary willpower to hate an enemy that deserves to be hated.
2)-I played very little if any sports during my youth, and so I don’t totally understand the hype around trying your best. At the time, I wasn’t really interested, but now that I am an oldfag, I have realized the err of my ways, being a member of a sports team/club is a very good thing.
3)-Deep down, I am probably a quitter to. If not a quitter, then at least a master-procrastinator.

As an aside, it’s good to read your posts, General Crusader. I hope that you will continue to enlighten us with your keen reconnaissance and study of this anime. I also hope that the great Zeus guides this anime down the path of least drama.

hm still unsure about picking up this show it seems much lighter then the mangaka other work that ive read Eden no Hana which i loved. crusader if you were to rate this show from 1 to awesome what would you give it?

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